Tales of Chibi
by Stephy825
Summary: Discontinued for now.
1. Prologue

Prologue - The Stun Trap

He was planning to simply knock them out; enough for him to obtain more data on their Bakugan at least. But there was something that made the machine go haywire and Spectra did not like the silence that came out of the speaker after the initial screams. _Isn't that what's supposed to happen when they're unconscious? _The teen had a really bad feeling though that it didn't go as planned.

Letting curiosity (and admitting to himself, a little concern) getting the better of him, he decided to check the room himself to see if the trap worked. As he went down the stairs; he began to imagine the worse possible case scenarios that could've happened. Maybe he shocked them too much that it killed them? He was pretty sure that he didn't set the volt charge that high, so that was impossible. It could've altered them? No way, the machine was design to give someone an electrical jolt, not some kind of mutating substance.

Pretty soon he reached the floor where they were all held. He smirked how he was able to lure them all down here in his own ship so easily. All he had to do was tell them that he wanted to challenge them and they took the bait. The blond approached the door and opened smoothly...and he found himself staring and gaping in shock at what he saw.

Piles of clothes were scattered on the ground. But it wasn't just that, there was something under each of them, and he did not like the idea he thought of. "Ouch...that hurt." a squeaky voice came out. Spectra cringed; the voice was already somewhat familiar to him. _Could it be..?_

As if answering his question, a brown-haired boy with red-eyes popped out of a large gray shirt. Well, it only looked big since somehow it seemed Dan shrank back to a seven-year-old. "Hey, what happened to my voice?"

So far, Spectra hadn't said a word; he was still trying to figure out what caused this transformation.

Out of the blue, the teen heard a loud groan coming from another pile of clothing. A black-haired kid with brown eyes then came out while rubbing his head. The brunette turned and saw the raven-haired male. "Shun? Is that you?"

"...Dan? Why are you..?" he stopped when he realized how high his voice had gotten. "What the hell is going on?"

At this time, everyone else was emerging and trying to recover from what happened. Spectra was hoping that the transformation was limited; but unfortunately it affected Marucho, Mira, Ace, and Baron as well. He couldn't get over how much his younger sister reminded him of better memories; yet he shook that thought away. He was faced with a much bigger problem at the moment.

Strangely, it was only when everyone was awake that he noticed his enemy by the door with the same surprised face. "What did you do to us Spectra?" he shouted; not amused by the state he was in now. "I have no idea why you wanted to turn us to kids; but if you think this makes us more vulnerable, it doesn't!" the brunette was about to stand up when he realized that his shirt alone covered his body until his knees. The teen almost laughed aloud; it was pretty hilarious for him to see his rival like this.

"Don't laugh!" he screamed; tears welling up in his eyes. To Spectra's surprise, he began to cry. He flinched; did the shrinking change their personalities too?

The blond sweat-dropped. He could've laughed again; yet seeing his pitiful condition, he decided to give the kid a break. "Alright, you gave Dan enough humiliation." Shun told him. "Could you change us back? I doubt that this would benefit you or anything."

He was a bit impressed how the raven-haired boy could act so calm. "Unfortunately for you, I have no clue how this happened. The trap was designed to knock someone out, not to change them in to...well, whatever you are now. It would take me some time before I would be able to come up with a device to reverse the effects."

"Oh great. So now what do we do?" a chibi-Ace asked with frustration.

Almost timidly, Mira stood up and walked towards Spectra; dragging her clothes that covered her small body. "Can you help us brother? Please?" she even did the puppy-dog eyes and tugged her brother's cape to make it a whole lot more...cute.

The blond hesitated. He very well couldn't leave them like this. At the same time he can't just bring all of them along with him. He can't let the others know about this either; that would be too risky. As nice it would be to trample over and discard them, he just knew that he wouldn't be able to do such. Thus the power of chibi prevails.

He sighed as he went to Dan (who by the way was still crying like a baby) and patted him lightly on the head; much like what he did before when Mira was sad. Immediately the brunette looked up with a confused face. "If you stop acting like a child, I'll help you out." for a moment, Spectra wanted to retract his words. He found the offer simply dreadful; it didn't benefit him at all.

But Dan tackling him out of the blue made him lose the idea almost instantly. The brunette was right on top of him with a big grin. "You promise?"

The teen groaned. "Mind getting off of me first?"

"Okay; but mind you I'm still Dan Kuso. So don't underestimate me alright?" he jumped back on the floor and Spectra stood up. Mira was actually running to him asking if he was hurt or anything at the same time scolding the seven-year-old for pushing him. "Mira, he's the bad guy!"

"So? He's also my big brother!"

Baron crawled until he was beside Ace. "A-uhm, Ace?"

The teal-haired male looked at him. "Yeah?" the eight-year-old noticed how young he looked. "How old are you?"

"...I think awound four..." he muttered back in reply.

Out of the blue, Spectra started to walk away from the chibi group. The orange-haired girl shouted not to leave them here alone; yet he reassured her that he was just going to go to the control room. He left without answering Dan's follow-up question about why he was going there. The blond then stepped in the elevator and quickly found himself in the large cock-pit area of his ship. He was about to touch the various buttons on the machine when suddenly there was an alert message. From the Vexos. With his curiosity piqued, he let the signal in, revealing...a chibi Hydron.

_"I know you were responsible for this Spectra! Change us back NOW!"_

He groaned again while doing a light face-palm. "This is...starting to get out of hand."

* * *

**A/N : **Yay~another random idea that was swimming around my head. To answer various questions that involve this fic's logicality, this happens at Episode 44 (the one where Spectra challenged Dan, lost to him and joined the Resistance.) So in a sense, instead of battling him, he trapped them and somehow turned them chibi.

About where the Bakugan are, that will be answered in the next chapters. And their ages? Just subtract 8 from their age in New Vestroia and there you have it. So Dan's seven, Mira's eight along with Shun and Ace, Marucho's six, and Baron's four.

All other questions and thoughts may be answered also in the next chapters. Please Review you guys!


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N : **No I had a lot of time to do this and I'm not really busy. Yes I was lazy and had terrible terrible writer's block. Yes I would like a review after this; hope you enjoy the first chapter of Tales of Chibi!

* * *

Chapter 1 - 6 plus 6

It took some time before Spectra was able to assemble everyone that was affected by the trap (or as Dan dubbed it the Shrink-inator). They were all in the palace of the Vexos and as crazy as it sounds, the Resistance was there right beside their enemies. The teen wondered what the heck happened to King Zenoheld; but he decided to look for him later; he wasn't really important anyway.

For some strange reason everyone reverted back to eight years younger than their current age. The eight-year-old Hydron wasn't pleased with this and proceeded to pout for who knows how long. Meanwhile Dan was still trying to move around without tripping over his own shirt. The blond had to find them all clothes that would fit them sooner or later. _Why couldn't have their clothes shrunk with them..?_

He groaned as he waited for all the chibis to settle down so that they could all come up with a plan. He had hoped that their personalities weren't altered that badly, or else he'll be dealing with babies rather than shrunken teens.

"So..." Marucho started with a hint of uncertainty. "Does this mean that the Alternative will be put on hold?"

Everyone in the room seemed to stare at him at the sudden question. "Depends if Professor Clay shrunk too." Spectra replied. He had doubted it though; there was a higher chance that he disappeared along with the old man. He had no idea why; yet it would be one less risk gone at least.

"That means we can't do anything until we're back to our old selves." Ace muttered while folding his arms. He clearly wasn't enjoying this like Hydron. Another random thought came to Spectra: where the heck did their Bakugan go? He hadn't heard a peep from them, so was it possible that they're gone too?

He snapped back to reality when he heard a sudden scream from the group. Apparently, Shadow 'accidentally' pushed Mylene; which resulted in her bumping in to Lync and Dan. Lync started crying (being the six-year-old he was) and Dan and Mylene proceeded to run after Shadow. Shun face-palmed along with Ace sweat-dropping, Volt was trying to calm down Lync, Baron and Marucho were watching the three running around in circles and Gus and Mira were having a staring competition.

Spectra would've snapped if he didn't remember a certain something in his pocket that could make miracles with these kinds of people. _Never thought this would actually become useful._ Without saying another word, he reached in to his pocket and pulled out the best invention known to kids.

...

"LOLLIPOP!" all eleven chibis scrambled back to their places making a semi-circle like formation; staring intently at the colorful swirly sweet in the teen's hand. Spectra grinned in a devious way that would be in the level of creepy; but everyone was too focused on the lollipop to care.

"Alright. Whoever is the most behaved will get this lollipop. Are we clear?" they all nodded and stayed silent; even Shadow didn't move an inch. Lync was still sniffling though; he could let that pass. The blond decided to toss a little test for them since they were so quiet. "Who really wants this little treat?"

"ME!" everyone screamed in reply. Spectra smirked and...gave the lollipop to Shun. The raven-haired boy hesitated before thanking him softly, took the plastic off and licked the lollipop.

Dan gaped. "Hey! Why does he get the lollipop?" he shouted; annoyed and angry.

"Because he was the most behaved, even after I asked all of you a question." he replied. The brunette grumbled to himself as he glared at his childhood friend. The tiny ninja stuck his tongue out to him and continued to enjoy his prize.

Now that they seemed to be more organized, Spectra wondered what he should do. It would be hard for all of them to live in the Mother Palace; that would spell disaster...probably. He completely scrapped the idea of letting them stay in his ship. So...

"Brother, where are you going this time?" Mira asked as she noticed her older sibling leaving them again. He didn't answer; instead, he glanced at her and smiled before the door closed behind him. Without rushing, he went to the area of the palace that supposedly had the controls to cross dimensions. The huge machine couldn't travel anywhere because he himself was the one that jammed it; yet taking that problem out shouldn't be too hard. "Alright, time to set a course to Earth."

"Are you sure that's the best idea?" a voice asked. He turned and saw Hydron leaning on the door with his arms folded; a serious expression on his face. "Ah, so that's why I didn't see you when I showed that lollipop to them."

"Answer my question." the boy said with force. The teen stared at him for a few moments before replying with a sigh. "...to be fully honest, I was planning on joining them."

"_Them_? You mean the Resistance?"

"Yes. But then, I guess I didn't want to do that just yet. I didn't expect to take them under my wing though."

"You still didn't answer my question. Are you sure this is the best idea?"

Spectra hesitated; yet he then suddenly turned away and laughed. "Honestly, I'm not sure myself."

-o-

"For the last time, I am _not_ taking a bath!" a loud voice wailed in the small bathroom. "But...but Leonidas...you dove in to a hole and covered yourself in dirt..." a meeker voice replied as the constant shouts and whines continued. The Haos Bakugan kept on avoiding the crimson haired teen's grip as he tried to grab him and pull him in to a bucket of water. "Leonidas, please! Stop being so difficult-" the little battle was interrupted by a huge crash outside. The both of them looked out the bathroom window and gaped in shock. Out there was a huge ship that didn't look like it was made in Earth at all; it actually looked like the one that Dan described for him. That could only mean that his friend had something to do with this.

Abandoning what he was planning to do for what would've probably lasted for the whole night, he quickly went out of the room, downstairs, and outside his house; his partner Bakugan following beside him. "Wow...this thing is big...could this really be...the Mother Palace..?"

Suddenly a bunch of people came out of the ship entrance. Actually, it was a person and a bunch of kids to the teen's surprise. "D-dan? Is that...you?"

The brunette turned to his voice and shared an equally shocked face. "Gale? What are you doing here?"

"Uh, you kind of landed the ship nearby our house."

"That would be my fault." Spectra muttered as he stepped closer to Dan who ran to his old friend. "Hey, aren't you that pompous jerk that's with the Vexos?"

The blond twitched noticeably at the comment. "_What_ was that?"

"That's how Dan described you often, though I'm surprised that he used the word 'pompous' in the first place."

"Is that true?" unexpectedly, it was Mira that spoke up instead of her brother; who was trying his best not to strangle the brown-haired boy at the moment. _"Eep! Please don't kill me!" _a voice shouted in the background. Gale sweatdropped. "Yeah; I doubt that Dan knows the meaning of 'pompous' though. It's not really a word he would use." he smiled. "So, you must be Mira."

"That's right. Are you one of Dan's friends?" he nodded in reply. "I can't believe you didn't freak out about our current state." Ace muttered while still folding his arms. "Most people would've run away after seeing a ship like this in front of their house."

"Not really. I've been through quite some weird things before when I was with Dan. This shouldn't be too...what's the word? _Unexpected_ I guess?" Gale answered. "But...I am a little surprised that you guys are a bunch of kids now. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Ugh, you're being too trustful again Gale." Leonidas muttered with a snarl. "How can you be so sure that this is Dan and not some clone or illusion to trick you?"

"_You're_ the one that being too paranoid. Even if there are reasons that the Vexos would like to take you or me, it doesn't make any sense to make the clone a younger Dan. It would've been more logical if they just made an exact replica of him so that there wouldn't be any complications. I think they're in a real predicament this time Leonidas."

"Haven't changed a bit huh Gale?" Shun said out of the blue. "I can't say the same for you Shun. Though to be honest I am kind of missing you guys. This place is just too quiet and I haven't had a brawl ever since I got here."

"_Ahem_..." Spectra cut in while leaving a frozen brunette on the grass. "You said that you are willing to help us correct? We need a place to stay (because obviously all twelve of these brats will break the ship if they remain there). Do you know of a house that we can stay in for a while without too much trouble? _Without_ rent?" Gale chuckled a little at his murmured comment about the shrunken brawlers. "A place to stay huh? Now that I think about it, there is a big mansion that's a walking distance from here. Luckily for you guys nobody is living in that place anymore and gave it to our family instead of selling it since the owner is a good friend of my parents. I doubt he'll mind if you stay there for a while." the crimson-haired teen looked up for a moment and frowned. "It's late now though; you should probably spend the night in my house first. It isn't that very big though so most of us have to share rooms. Do you mind?"

"No, that will be fine thank you."

"Well you're polite for a pompous jerk." he smirked. The blond didn't look as amused though. "I'm kidding of course. C'mon, we better go in instead of standing out here. We still have to find a change of clothes for all of you after all."

"Master Dan?" Baron asked while poking his cheek. "Are you alright?"

"...stupid...jerk...he...could've...killed...me..."

"Just what did he do to you?" the four-year-old Vestal then poked him on his neck; which made Dan react so badly that he somehow yelped and screamed at the same time. "...he tickled you didn't he?"

"..."

"..."

"...yeah."

* * *

**A/N : **To be honest I didn't plan on putting Gale in here (it was my friend that gave me the idea. I just thought that putting them in Marucho's house would be too...expected.) Are any of my _**What's in a Bakugan?**_ readers here? If you are, this is probably spoiling you just a little (I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but I think Gale's involvement in this story will be big.) I apologize for taking so long with this (I was stuck for a really really long time.) Hopefully I'll update faster than before. Please review guys~


	3. Chapter 2

_Me: Guys, I have great news! I found where chibi-Lync's hiding! *holds up Lync*_

_Lync: *puppy dog eyes* P-please let me down..._

_Me: Apparently the Shrink-inator took out his cocky personality and made him all shota-crybaby-ishy! Yay~ *cuddles Lync* If you want to meet chibi-brawlers, make requests please~ oh, and everyone has to line up properly please. Gale will help redirect the people and say the disclaimer that I normally don't do but this story's an exception.  
_

_Gale: Hi everyone...*sweatdrop* Uhm, Stephy doesn't own Bakugan...if she did, maybe Spectra would've appeared in the third season too._

_Me: Now on to the reading!  
_

* * *

Chapter 2 – Together

"So...how are we going to settle with who's sleeping with who?" Gale asked while glancing at the thirteen other people in his house. "We only have four rooms; including mine. I guess my bed is big enough to fit one to two people-"

"I call Gale's room!" Dan shouted as he glomped his childhood friend and clung on his waist. "Shun, Marucho, you should join too; it'll be like a sleepover!"

Surprisingly, said two boys did not refuse and seem amused by the idea; making the crimson-haired male sigh. "Fine, you three can sleep with me tonight. Where are you planning to sleep, Spectra? We have two guest rooms so you can sleep in one-"

"I call big brother's room!" Mira exclaimed and also glomped her sibling; making said brother groan yet agree anyway. "Uhm, okay...that's six people out..." he turned his attention to the teal-haired boy on the couch with a grumpy face that look like it wouldn't come off-"Hey Ace, why don't you sleep with Mira for tonight?"-until Gale suggested that idea; making him blush in all shades of red. "M-m-me? W-with M-m-mira?"

The orange-haired girl grinned. "I don't mind...or do you want to stay somewhere else?"

"N-no! I, uh, yeah. I'll...stay with you." he stuttered in reply.

"I'll go with Ace, Mira, and Spectra then; if that's alright." Baron spoke. Nobody reacted to it, so Spectra will be sleeping with the original Bakugan Resistance members for tonight. "So that leaves...the Vexos people. I think all of you can fit in the two other rooms right? Just, whoever goes to my parents' room, please don't mess it up-"

"I call the big room!" Shadow yelled and without another word raced up there and started to bounce on the huge king-size bed. Mylene groaned. "I'll watch him in case he does anything stupid." she muttered.

"Okay, so that leaves Lync, Volt, Gus, and Hy-"

"No way am I going to sleep with anybody." Hydron cut in while his arms were still folded. "And I wanna stay with Master Spectra." Gus added.

"Too late; I'm gonna sleep with brother tonight." Mira smirked.

"Hmph, fine. But if you do anything to hurt-"

"Why would I hurt my own brother? You're so stupid Gus."

"Rrgh! I am not stupid!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Guys...please stop fighting..." Gale interrupted while separating the two kids that looked like they were going to start scratching and punching each other any second. Noticing that they're making a scene in front of everybody (most especially Spectra), they immediately stopped glaring at each other and turned away with a huff. The younger teen sighed again. "I never knew dealing with so many kids is so hard..." he thought.

"So...does everyone agree to who's sleeping where?" everyone nodded; including Hydron. Apparently he decided to sleep on the couch because he didn't want to be with anybody else. "Okay. That's good. Now is anybody hungry?"

Everybody raised their hands except for Spectra. The teen exhaled sharply. "I guess it's a good thing that mom taught me how to cook...hey, where's Leonidas?"

-o-

Drago woke up to the sound of something or someone urging him to get up and stop sitting there like an unconscious idiot. He didn't remember any of his companions ever having that kind of speech...except...

"Leonidas..?" he muttered; groggy. Looking around, he saw that he was in a small room with light gray walls and that's pretty much it. Light illuminated from below the floor he was on; the place looked like a chamber that Spectra's ship might have.

"You took your time; though I understand why you had to." the Haos Bakugan replied. "Understand..? Understand what?" he asked; his body felt strangely different for some reason. "Well...let's just say...you haven't changed much since I last saw you."

"Huh? What are you-" the Pyrus Bakugan quickly realized what he was referring to. His body...it was back to his original form. He was back to Pyrus Dragonoid; no evolutions that made him stronger or anything. He felt panicked for a moment that he had lost the Perfect Core but also realized that the only thing different with this body than his past one was that there was a shiny gem on his chest. He sighed in relief; at least one thing hasn't changed. "But, why did I revert back?"

If Bakugan could shrug, Leonidas would've done so. "You're not the only one that took a step backward. Apparently Dan went back to being a kid again along with everybody else."

"Daniel? A kid?" there was a small pause in the room. "How old?"

"I dunno; he looks way younger than when I first saw him though." Drago groaned. One hyperactive brunette as his partner was bad enough, yet now he's turned in to a more hyperactive boy..! "This could not get any worse-wait, who's 'everybody else'?"

"Uuh, the Bakugan Resistance and the Vexos dudes."

"Including Spectra?"

"No, I think that pompous jerk was the one that caused all of this to happen in the first place." for a second there, Leonidas thought that the normally calm Dragonoid was about to explode. If Bakugan could seethe, Drago would've done it multiplied by two. Apparently his rational side won over his newly gained impulsive side though. "If everyone has grown younger, that means that the other Bakugan were affected that well. Grr, I should've known that was a trap!"

"You knew too late Drago and now you're paying the price." another voice said; one that sounded very familiar to the Pyrus Bakugan. "Helios. Here for an easy win?"

"No. I never wanted this to happen. How can I prove that I'm the Ultimate Bakugan if I defeat you in that sorry state of yours?" he replied. It took every ounce of Drago's concentration to stop himself from strangling the other dragon-like creature. "We'll settle that next time, Helios."

"Fine, I don't mind waiting a little longer."

"He speaks like that blond dude; it's kinda creepy." Leonidas commented. "Exactly. It's like they were made for each other."

"Hmph. Instead of you two chatting about me in my face, you should see if your other companions are alright."

"No need, you already woke us up." Nemus responded as he approached the three Bakugan. Soon everyone else followed and as Drago feared everyone has reverted back to their original form before evolution. Nemus and Wilda looked different because they evolved before they met. Strange thing was, all the Vexos' Bakugan were there too: Aluze, Boriates, Macubass, Spider, Vulcan, and even Dryoid was there. It was like a mix of all kinds of Bakugan in one place...it made Drago terribly uncomfortable.

"So the entire gang's here huh?" Leonidas said; he sounded almost excited. He flew over to the six Vexos Bakugan that were keeping distance from each other and the rest. "Hey you, you're not going to attack us right?"

Nobody spoke for a few seconds. "Hey, c'mon. There's no need to be shy; you can't really do anything anyway because all of your owners are now little kiddies."

"Master is a kid? What are you talking about?" Vulcan demanded.

"I might as well show you. Follow me~" and so the parade of Baku-ball forms started with all of them about to head for the door-"Huh? Where'd the exit go?"

"Leonidas?" Drago said in a warning tone.

"The security system seems to have backfired on us." Helios muttered. "We're trapped in here until Spectra comes to free us."

"Sorry Drago..."

"It's...it's alright...let's just find a way to escape so we can get out of here..."

-o-

It was eleven in the evening and Spectra didn't feel like sleeping at all. He was able to get Ace, Mira, and Baron to bed; but normally at this time he would be researching, so quietly he snuck out of the room and decided to explore a little. Just a little further from the room he was given, the teen heard a loud snore from behind the door. Slowly turning the knob so that it wouldn't make too much noise, he peeked inside and saw a sight that would make most Bakugan fangirls squeal.

On the not-so large bed were Gale, Dan, Shun, and Marucho all together; sleeping. The brunette was hugging the younger teen's arm like a long pillow and at the same time drooling on it. Shun was facing away from the others in a curled up position and Marucho was using Gale's shoulder as a pillow. It almost reminded him of those times where Mira couldn't sleep and would go to his room and sleep together...but those moments only happened a long time ago.

He closed the door silently and went downstairs, only to find Hydron awake and staring at the night sky. "You're still awake?" he asked, which made the boy glance behind him before returning to his original position. "Yeah, what of it?"

"...I never knew you were fascinated by stars."

"It's one of the few things that interest me." he replied. Coming from an eight-year-old it sounded a little weird, but Spectra was a little surprised since it was rare for Hydron no matter what his age was to speak about such personal and trivial things. "Besides Bakugan you mean?"

He frowned, yet didn't show it to him. "...yeah."

The blond unexpectedly took a seat beside him; the view beyond the window was amazing. "Does living a normal life interest you as well?"

"No." he replied almost immediately. "But a normal life...wouldn't be so bad..."

"Maybe now you can start again. If played right, I heard that a childhood on Earth can be a very enjoyable one."

"Childhood huh..." Spectra took off his mask; showing his real blue eyes that anyone rarely ever saw. If he looked closely though, there were small eye bags visible; he hadn't been sleeping much as of late. "We should probably sleep. Tomorrow, that boy will show us our temporary home and I figure it's going to take a while before everyone will settle down."

"Still eager to change yourself back Hydron?"

His mouth curved to a rare smile. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I'll try enjoying being a kid again. It's an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for taking so long...the dialogues for this story were hard...and I had to do some research on the Bakugan too and stuff. Yeah. Hydron's becoming a main character now...didn't expect that. o_O Astare, I have no idea how many chapters this will be. I'll just see how long this goes~

Review please and request ideas/people if you wish~


	4. Chapter 3

_At least it hasn't been two months yet /shot_

_To jr_: Dude, I didn't even _mean _for it to be like that. You're so serious-minded. This is a K+ fic remember? What makes you think I'll jump that far? Even if I did it unintentionally, it's not supposed to be thought _in that way. _It's _you _that should stop thinking of those kinds of thoughts, ne.

To everyone else: SORRY FOR THE SUPER LONG WAIT. I feel so guilty for being inactive for quite some time...I've been busy with school (and attempting to make an adoptables site). And also, I'm updating three stories now in a cycle. So first is Tales of Chibi (this chapter) then Sir Aaron's Apprentice, Penpal, then Tales of Chibi again. That explains why it takes me a while to update, okay? I'm also sorry for the kinda long note I wrote here. Just read the chapter already.

* * *

Chapter 3 - Slightly Awake

Shun groaned a little as he tried to sit up but couldn't. Weirdly enough, there was something heavy on his body; something or someone had a strong grip on him and didn't want to let go. At the same time, he felt something wet on his chest...

...

...

...

-o-

"So they can stay there? Really? Thanks!" Gale said gratefully. "Okay, bye." the teen put down the phone and smiled. He was glad that his dad's friend agreed to let everyone stay in his house for the mean time. For a second he was afraid that he would say no. But the condition that he gave him worried the boy somewhat.

Before he could ponder on it any further though, a loud scream echoed around the house; loud enough for Gale to say that his ears have bled. _What the heck? Dan was already causing trouble at this time of morning?_ Racing upstairs, he quickly opens the door to his room to find the brunette still sleeping even after the scream, Shun on the floor breathing heavily and Marucho trying to calm him down. "What happened here?"

"Sorry...I just...overreacted..." the raven-haired chibi replied; panting.

"Overreacted? To what?" the little wet stain on the ninja's shirt already gave Gale an idea. Even so, Marucho answered his question anyway. "Dan was hugging and drooling on him in his sleep."

"That was my first guess." the teen muttered. "Frankly I'm surprised that you would overreact over that though Shun. You've had sleepovers with Dan before haven't you?"

"Well yeah but not _that_ close!" he shouted then shuddered at the thought. "And the drooling made it a whole lot worse..." the boy shuddered again. It was pretty obvious that it was never in Shun's nature to be that close to anybody; even his best friend. _Poor guy._ "Don't worry, Shun. Dan didn't do it on purpose."

"That doesn't help." he said bluntly. Marucho sweat-dropped and suddenly stifled a yawn. "It's a little early for you to be awake; you want to sleep somewhere else?" they both shook their heads. "I really need a change of clothes...the ones I had before are really hard to maneuver in...plus they have drool on them..."

Gale frowned. "Oh yeah, we probably should buy some new clothes to fit your new bodies for the mean time. I think I have some extra clothes in the attic that can fit you, but later we'll have to get more clothes for the others. Mind waiting here for a bit?"

"Yeah, sure. Just don't take too long." the teen nodded and stepped out of the room while closing the door. As he was about to turn to the left though he bumped in to someone he didn't expect. "Ah, I'm sorr-Spectra?" the blond teen's mask was gone which showed his light blue eyes and how tired he was. "Is Dan still sleeping?"

"Uhm, yeah..." he groaned softly. "Even in his sleep that brat somehow causes trouble." an awkward silence surrounded the both of them; Gale though seemed to be the only one who thought it was nerve-wrecking. "Hey, Spectra, where's your mask?" he asked.

"It's none of your business." the elder teen replied almost too quickly. The crimson-haired boy didn't bother pushing it any further, besides, it struck him that he still had somewhere to go. "I'm heading to the attic to get a change of clothes for Shun. You...well, if anything else happens, just try to solve it. I'll be back in a jiff." with that, he ran off to the nearby staircase; the sound of his footsteps faded after a few seconds. The blond didn't move for a few seconds as if deep in thought. Then with a small sigh he continued to walk along the hallway until he went downstairs and found a curled up Hydron on the couch...and he was sucking his thumb. "Why I am not surprised that nobody really woke up from that..?" he muttered while a small part of him was holding him back from laughing aloud. Apparently a small chuckle escaped his lips, and for some reason it made Hydron stir and wake up. "Hnn? Spectra..." the eight-year-old grumbled while pushing himself up to a sitting position. "You'll pay for waking me up." his voice was still soft because he was still sleepy; but anyone would know that he was not happy.

"Says the boy-" _that sucks his thumb while he sleeps._ That's was what he was about to say, but then he decided against it. Maybe he can use that as blackmail another time. "-who's such a spoiled brat." almost immediately, Hydron's sleepy demeanor disappeared and was replaced with an aura of anger and rage. "What was that?"

Spectra simply smirked. "I suggest you not picking a duel with me now in your state. You might destroy the little pride you have left." this only flared the child even more. He jumped out of the couch and stood as if he was ready to pounce at any moment, and pounce he did. Unfortunately, he didn't have the weight or the power to knock the teen down on the floor; the shove just made him take one step back. "_I...I_ _hate you!_" he sputtered with tiny tears in his eyes. Spectra was now carrying the boy from his waist...and well, Hydron was sniffling and attempting to hold his tears back. "I guess you're more of a little kid than I thought." he muttered as he placed him down on the floor.

"Sh-shut up." he clenched his fists until his knuckles were white; he bit his lip hoping it would help him stop crying; his gaze was on the ground and not on the person in front of him. Damn, why can't I stop crying? "It's what little kids do. They cry...cry their heart out." the teen answered as if reading his mind. "Mira used to do that when I would tease her or when she didn't get something she wanted. It's all they can do; they don't have the power to fight, and so they cry."

"I said shut up."

"Must be hard to accept defeat now, isn't it?" _shut up._ "Do you feel powerless? Vulnerable?" _shut up..!_ "You don't have any pride, Hydron-" _I said-!_

"Shut up!" he screamed.

"Spectra!" Gale was now on the staircase; his face full of concern. "That's enough; leave him alone." his tone was commanding; something Spectra didn't expect from him at all. _I guess there's more than meets the eye. _He didn't bother going against him, stood up and walked to the crimson-haired boy. Instead of stopping though, he just kept on walking upstairs; not saying one word. The vibes that radiated from him made Gale shiver slightly. As soon as he was out of sight, he went to Hydron to see if he could comfort him, but once he got close to him, the boy simply turned away and faced the other way. "Hydron-"

"Just leave me alone."

"That's not going to solve anything." _It's what little kids do. They cry...cry their heart out._

"...you think you can order me what to do just because you're older?" he said; his voice cracking; it was almost like he was having a hard time saying the words he wanted. Gale sighed. "I'm not ordering you to do anything, Hydron. I'm just worried about you, that's all."

The boy didn't want to admit that the feeling of someone concerned about him was something he never knew of, so he just kept quiet. The teen noticed that he glanced back for a second before he turned away again; that made him laugh a little. "Hydron..."

"You're trying to trick me, I know it."

"No, you're just being stubborn."

"...if you tell what happened to anybody, I'm going to kill you." the tone sounded like he gave in to him, at least.

Gale grinned broadly. "Of course." the both of them didn't notice a small mechanical bug perched on the stairway; watching their every move and sound with its single red eye. Upstairs, Spectra had been watching the two the whole time. He had to admit, Gale was nearly as interesting as Dan was. Not headstrong or reckless but the opposite, yet strong willed and has a peaceful attitude. He never knew someone so calm-minded can exist before; Shun didn't apply to this. It's as if Gale never battled anyone in his life, but he knew this was wrong; why would the boy have a Bakugan partner then?

_He_ is_ more than meets the eye._

-o-

"So everyone, I'm going to the mall nearby to get some clothes for all of you. You're not picky with what I choose, right?" nobody replied meaning that they agreed; or so Gale assumed. "Alright then, Spectra will be in charge of breakfast when I'm gone. If you're hungry, ask him." said teen didn't seem to be surprised; but the crimson-haired male saw a small twitch on the corner of his emotionless frown. "I'll be off now; everyone, I beg you not to break anything. My parents might be pretty rich, but that doesn't mean they like all their stuff getting broken."

"You can count on us, Gale!" Dan piped up with a big smile. Now he was more worried than ever that something bad will happen; yet...there's nothing he could do now. He just had to put his trust on the brunette and hope everything goes at least a little smoothly. He opened the door and went out; inhaling the fresh morning air. It was around 8am now; pretty early but he knew the mall opens at that time because they believe it attracts more customers. Taking his bike that was in the shack in his front garden, he went out of the fence and hopped on. Before he left, he looked at the house again and was surprised that the broken ship behind it couldn't be seen from where he was. "Well, at least no one will question why a ship is parked at the back of our house." he mumbled to himself before pushing the pedals on his bike and setting off.

After around ten minutes or so, he finally reached the medium sized mall with not so many people around as he had expected. After he parked his bike and secured it so that no one will steal it, the teen went pass through the automatic translucent doors and went in. "Now...how am I supposed to pick out twelve outfits for twelve kids..?"

Gale then spotted a clothing store nearby and approached it; relieved that there was a lady in a uniform there that could help him out. "Excuse me."

"Yes? Do you need anything, sir?" she replied in a professional voice.

"Uhm, you think you can help me choose out clothes for little kids? Like, four, six, eight, and ten?"

"Of course. Out of curiosity, did your mom send you here to pick the clothes?"

"Oh, no. My parents aren't here at the moment. They went in another expedition abroad." he frowned subconsciously; it's been a while since he's seen his mom and dad; they won't come back for another two weeks. He guessed that it was a good thing for now. His mom would've freaked over everyone getting shrunk in to chibis.

"Ah, I see. How many siblings do you have?"

"Siblings? Ah, no, they're kind of my friends. I need twelve outfits actually..." the teen smiled sheepishly; he was worried that the demand was so much that she won't help him out. Thankfully, the lady grinned back at him; as if understanding his predicament. "Twelve, huh? That's a lot of responsibility for a young man."

"I have some help from another friend of mine." _Well more like a frienemy, but Spectra is helping me out. Somewhat._ "Alright. Shall we get started?"

"Sure-" before they could even start looking at the selection of clothes, Gale heard a girl's voice shouting a little deeper in the store. "Calm down, Runo! Destroying things around you isn't going to do anything; you're just making it worse!"

_Runo?_ The crimson-haired boy followed the sound of the voice until he found stacks of clothes scattered all over the floor and an enraged pigtailed bluenette. Beside said girl were two other girls; one of them had silver hair that was tied up to a side ponytail and the other had long, slightly wavy orange hair. The two girls were trying to stop Runo from destroying the rest of the store before they spotted the teen standing there with a dumbfounded look. "_Gale_?" the silver-haired girl said; shocked. At the sound of the name, Runo blinked a few times before facing him. "Hey, Gale! What're you doing here?"

"I should be asking the same question to you three." he replied; surprised to find his old friends here in the same mall he was in.

"Oh we're just...chilling out." Runo muttered in a calm tone as if pushing racks of clothes around the place was normal. "Dan and the others haven't come back yet...it's been a few days and Runo was getting nervous." Julie added with a grin. "So we're just here to try and calm her down, y'know, something to keep her mind off of it."

"We can't really do anything right now, sadly." Alice said. "The least we could do is not to put too much pressure on them because we're worried."

The entire time they were explaining, the teen's mind kind of went blank. "Wait...so you're saying that you don't know where Dan is right now?" they all shook their heads; the bluenette looked downcast. Out of the blue, Gale covered his mouth to restrain himself from laughing. "What's so funny?" Runo yelled. "They could be in real trouble-!"

"They aren't, I assure you. In fact, they're in my house right now." the trio looked at him; stunned. "You're lying, right?"

"Nope. But, well, they are in a pretty sticky situation." he glanced at the lady that was supposed to help him out. "I'll come back soon, alright? I just have to settle some things with them." with a smile, he guided the three girls out of the store and in to the somewhat empty mall; even if their voices weren't loud, it still made small echoes because of the slightly quiet atmosphere. "So you're sure you're not lying, Gale? If you're just telling us this to cheer us up it's not helping."

"I'm not, seriously. They're fine, but not unscathed-"

"_What_? Dan's hurt?"

"No no, I mean..._mentally_ unscathed. We might as well find a place to sit down before I tell you what happened to me last night because believe me it's a pretty ridiculous yet true story."

* * *

Review please? They make me happy! (Unless your review is pretty weird, has terrible grammar/spelling and does not make any sense. *glances at jr*)


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Augh...short chapter is short. Gomen nasai...

I don't really know what else to say (as I have to sleep already and stuff like that). Ironic that I updated this in the middle of the final exams week instead of those normal days. Wish me luck in Science, English, Social Studies, and Math (most especially Math)! Next time I have to figure out all the clothes they're gonna wear...oh gosh. And then they're gonna move to the mansion. Oh gosh.

Just read and review it already.

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Chapter 4 - Of all People

"Spectra, are you done yet?"

"For the _tenth time_, Kuso, I'm not." said teen was close to shouting at the brunette with wide oblivious red eyes. He couldn't believe someone like him of all people would be stuck with _him_ of all people while Gale was away. He regretted not speaking up awhile ago when he could've; if he did, it would've saved him a lot of near breaking points...and maybe sanity points. Not that sanity really mattered.

"Can you hurry up, then? I'm hungry..." the boy continued to whine endlessly. He was so close to snapping the spoon he was holding in to two. Instead, his pace in stirring the batter in the pot quickened; it almost seemed like the porridge inside wasn't the only thing smoking.

Yes, Spectra, _of all people_, was making porridge. Wearing an apron because his little sister forced him didn't help him in this weird situation (even if she said it would protect his oh so precious clothing from messy things in the kitchen). Nice, eh? It was the only thing that said blond had knowledge of cooking...well, actually, he had no experience or knowledge in such a subject. It was normally Gus that cooked for him or he ordered some for himself (Gus's cooking was strangely much better though). To make something for twelve kids with not even a cook book in sight was quite frustrating.

He absolutely regretted letting the younger teen get some clothes for them.

"Are you done yet?"

The metal spoon actually bent to an unnatural angle.

"That's a no, huh? You're so slow, Spec-" before he could even finish his sentence, something weird was shoved in to his mouth. As soon as he registered the taste, the brunette started to gag and dashed to the trashcan. After a few minutes, he went to the sink and tried to clean his mouth with the help of the faucet. "_Bleh_! That's the worst thing I ever tasted! What the heck did you put in there?" he asked while trying to get rid of the horrible and unfortunately lingering taste on his tongue. Water wasn't the best solution, and so he went to the fridge and got himself a glass of milk (not that Gale would mind). That seemed to take it out somewhat.

The Vestal didn't bother responding since he was focused on finding another spoon for him to use. Dan pouted and walked closer to the boiling batter and notice some spices laid out beside it. He didn't recognize any of them, but he was pretty sure that they weren't meant for porridges.

"Hey, Spectra, is the food done yet?" Ace suddenly came in and saw the Pyrus brawler beside the black stove. "What is our food, anyway?"

"Porridge, apparently."

"Porridge? Why would Spectra of all people be cooking a peasant-"

"Finish the sentence and you're not eating." said teen cut in with a glare. The teal-haired male immediately shut up, yet Dan only shrugged. "It's not like I would want to eat this anyway." he then sighed. "I wish Gale was cooking the food. His lunches are awesome..."

"Would you prefer Spectra picking out our clothes or cooking our food?"

"...I don't know really. Both sound like bad choices."

"I'm _right here_, you brats." he growled.

"In my opinion, I would choose picking our clothes since Spectra isn't stupid enough to get dresses for us."

"But what if he does it on purpose?"

"Good point...it's still better than getting a really bad tummyache."

"I _said_ I'm right here."

"Yeah...cross-dressing isn't so bad, I guess."

"Wait, I know that tone. You did it before?" Ace couldn't help but smirk at his comrade.

"I was forced to, okay?"

"What kind of dress did you wear?" right when the seven-year-old was about to answer, Shadow entered the kitchen and had already heard pieces of their conversation. "You had to wear a dress?"

"I said I was forced to!"

"Was it pink?"

"No...it was blue."

"Forget that, is the food done yet?" all three kids turned to Spectra who was so close to strangling either of them. He was still looking around the drawers for something strong enough to withstand annoyed teens when he found something much better. Picking it up, he swiftly hid it behind his back and approached the trio with a smirk that could scare anyone. "Good news, guys, I found what I was looking for."

"Another spoon?" Dan asked.

"No..." he pulled out what he was hiding and all of them paled. "Shoot. He found the duct tape."

-o-

Mylene scowled to herself as she was walking around the second floor looking for Shadow. As much of a 'villain' she was, she hated owing people and wanted to resolve such things as soon as possible. She owed Gale for actually letting her stay in his house, and so she gave herself the responsibility to look after the worst troublemaker she could think of. The chibi Vestal soon realized that he wasn't on the second floor after all and proceeded to the first floor where Spectra was supposed to make them breakfast.

Once she got down and glanced at the kitchen, she couldn't help but stifle a chuckle.

Dan, Ace, and Shadow's bodies were completely covered in duct tape; resembling some kind of gray sphere except their head was sticking out. Only Dan had two strips on his mouth with a crisscross formation. Silently, she scanned the room around her and found a lone piece of paper with a pencil and smirked. She grabbed it and quickly scribbled something on it, ripped a little bit of the duct tape and stuck it on Shadow.

_(Cue Phineas and Ferb reference: Episode: The Paper Pelican - Guys, sing it like they did it! :D)_

_"Brat Balls_

_$1.99 each_

_So bratty you wouldn't taste the duct tape!"_

_(End reference)_

And it just got better when right at that moment; Gale came home with clothes at hand and hoping not to see a mess. Instead, he was gaping at what he saw at the kitchen. "D-dan?"

"_Mmph_!" he cried happily; only to then notice Runo by the door. "_Mm-mph_?" the brunette now looked horrified to see them; and he had all reason to be.

Said blunette had a fiery aura around her once she stepped in to the house. "You're dead, Dan Kuso!"

And while all of this was happening, Spectra was enjoying some cereal hidden from the chaos that was going to ensue.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: **OMG OMG OMG OMG I MADE IT. THANK GOD. I MADE IT BEFORE THE DEADLINE. *goes off to celebrate* Now I don't have to worry about updating for a while~ Phew!

Anyway, I am TERRIBLY sorry for taking so long with this. I actually crammed most of this chapter just an hour or two ago, so it might be a bit crappy. School is so stressful sometimes...I tried to make it long-ish as an apology. But I don't think it's that very long...OTL

Review after, please?

* * *

Chapter 5 – Long Morning

The awkward silence that filled the room was suffocating...even if the food was good. The twelve chibi brawlers, three girl brawlers, one Gale, and one Spectra were sitting all together in the dining area. Not saying a single word. Just eating the food that the younger teen was able to whip up from the remaining resources they had left. Frankly, the blond was already fine with the cereal, but whatever Gale did, it was so good that he got a bowl anyway. And he savored every scoop of the porridge...thing. Even if porridge is peasant food (or so Ace says...even though he's also eating it).

Even with that, everyone was kind of glancing at a certain bluenette glaring at a certain (beat-up) brunette who was trying his best not to return the gaze back at her. The occasional slurps could be heard as the seconds dragged on and on..."Runo, you're going to give Dan a heart attack, seriously." Gale finally muttered as he stood up with his empty container.

"It's his fault for leaving us in the dark." she replied without even taking her eyes off of the chibi Pyrus brawler. "H-how is it my fault?" he shot back but failed to act the least bit confident. "You think I would've known that _this_-" he gestured at his small body. "-would've happen to us?"

"But it's not just this time. Ever since you left to Vestroia again, I barely-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but shouldn't we focus on something more important? Like getting you guys getting back to normal?" the crimson-haired boy cut in; sounding a little concerned. Everyone fell silent and was staring right at him which made him uncomfortable. "Err, well, I'm actually surprised that it hasn't been brought up...don't tell me...it slipped your minds?" some of them exchanged glances; a mixture of confusion and slight nervousness filled the air. "It is...a little strange..." Volt suddenly replied; his higher ten-year-old voice didn't mask the seriousness in his tone. "The entire time, it never really seemed to be a problem."

"Wike, it was almost normal." Baron finished with a thoughtful expression.

Spectra had the same expression as the four-year-old now; wondering if the trap he designed altered much more than their physical appearance. "I was expecting to leave them like this for a while, but I didn't think something like this would happen." the older teen stood up and walked towards the door. "I'm going to the Mother Palace-" he announced to them. "-and I need someone to come along with me."

Before anyone else could say anything, it was Hydron that spoke up first. "I'll go...if it helps me get out of this form as soon as possible."

"Alright then." Gale muttered. "While I clean up, all of you guys prepare. Runo, Julie, Alice, you help them out too. We're headed to the mansion since I doubt I can keep you here without a bigger space."

"Cool! I can't wait!" Dan piped up; excited. Most of them were the same; others didn't seem as hyper, but they were smiling anyway.

"That settles it then. I'll be dropping by later, Spectra, once we're done moving."

He nodded once. "Fine. Let's go, Hydron."

-o-

"Woaaah..." some of the chibis said in unison as they stared at the huge building. "Gale, I know your parents are loaded, influential and all that, but I didn't think it would be so..._big_."

"Haha, well, it just so happens that he likes large houses, Dan. Most of these rooms here actually either contain something terribly random or a bedroom. My dad tells him to find a better way to spend his money like donating to the poor or even setting up an organization for the environment, but he won't listen. I dunno whether to call that selfish or he just wants to spend it on himself. It's kind of-"

Julie suddenly nudged the boy. "Gale, they already went in." she told him while giggling. He couldn't help but blush from embarrassment. "Really? Oh god, I was rambling again." he then walked briskly to the entrance and went inside. The first thing he noticed was not how enormous the lobby room was, but the sole person that was standing there...apparently polishing a vase. He looked older than the redhead, and he seemed so deep in concentration with his work that the teen's voice made him jump. "_Gah_, don't scare me like that!" he shouted with a purely shocked look. His short blue hair covered his forehead but not his bright green eyes, and it took a few seconds for Gale to register that he was wearing what looked like a black tux with white gloves. "...are you a butler?"

He smiled. "That's right...well, sort of. I'm trying to gain what someone would call life experience since my boss says that I have too little of it."

"..._life experience_?" he repeated; a little surprised that he doesn't seem to be joking. "And how old are you?"

"Eighteen. You?"

"Fifteen." the two were silent for one second. "Weird that we said our ages first rather than our names...mine is Gale Hissori, by the way."

"Hissori? Oh, so you're the kid that the master was talking about...anyway, I'm Tadashi Kihara. Nice to finally meet you."

"Same here." _so this was the guy he was talking about. Well, maybe Dan and the others are the 'life experience' he needs._ "Hey, didn't you see any kids run by?"

"Kids?" he looked around and frowned when he saw shoeprints on the carpet leading to one of the many stairways in the mansion. Mumbling something along the lines of 'I can't believe I didn't notice them' as he walked pass the younger male to the bottom of the stairs. Once he was there, he simply looked up as if hesitating, and then turned back to the only other person in the room. "Looks like we're going hunting."

"I guess it's unavoidable...wait a minute." the crimson-haired boy glanced behind him and was surprised that there wasn't anyone else there. "Where did Runo, Julie, and Alice go?"

"Wait, you brought girls with you?"

"Err, yeah..?" he didn't like the flash of excitement on Tadashi's face. "W-we should really find the others. I doubt they'll get in trouble so we'll look for them later."

"Whatever you say, Hissori." he said with a shrug, though he seemed to be bummed that they won't try finding the girl brawlers first.

-o-

Meanwhile, Spectra and Hydron were walking towards the blond's ship parked in the Mother Palace (which said teen hoped wasn't damaged when they sort of crashed in to Gale's backyard). Most of his equipment was there, and making a scanner big enough for Hydron to fit in should only take an hour or so (thanks to his now small size). When they finally reached the ship and went inside, the Pyrus brawler thought he heard a loud shout coming from the isolation chamber...where he had trapped the Resistance and shocked them to their current state. Confused, he told Hydron to stay put in the cockpit and went down there to see what was wrong. When he finally reached there and opened the door, he was hit by what felt like fourteen stones that were thrown at him. Only these stones could talk, and they were sphere-shaped. Either way, he was knocked back from the force (and surprise) and fell on the ground with a hard 'thud'. "_We're finally out_!" Leonidas cried in happiness. "I told you smashing the door would work!"

Drago groaned. "It didn't open because of that."

"We're still out. That's good enough." Nemus said; attempting to stop them from arguing before they really did.

"Can all of you get off me?" all of them were shocked to see the teen right under them with an annoyed face. They immediately got off and floated around him, making some sort of circle. Helios just went back to being perched on said guy's shoulder.

"Where are the Resistance, Spectra?" Ingram suddenly questioned.

"Safe. They're with Gale, so there's no need to be concerned about them."

"Gale?" the Ventus Bakugan repeated; his wary tone hadn't disappeared yet.

"It's alright, Ingram." Drago told him. "I know him; he is one of Dan's friends. If they're in his hands, there really is nothing to worry about."

"What about the Vexos?" Wilda asked.

"Also with Gale. They don't seem to be causing too much trouble in their current condition, anyhow."

"I wanna check on Marucho to see if he's really okay." Elfin muttered while flying ahead. The others soon followed, also expressing worried comments about their partners. The only ones that stayed behind were Leonidas and Dryoid, the latter one surprised the blond. "Aren't you going to your master?" he asked it. The Subterra Bakugan didn't reply, as usual, but it seemed to know that Hydron was nearby.

"Hey, so, what are you doing here anyway, Spectra? I know this is your ship and all, but what about the other brawlers?" the Haos Bakugan asked as he floated right beside him. "Trying to solve the problem?"

"You could say that."

Leonidas didn't like the vague answer. "That's why you went back to the scene of the crime, eh?"

"Persistent, aren't you?" if Bakugans could smile, he would've done so. "I only went down here because I heard something."

"Yeah, whatever. So...do you know what made them become tiny?"

"I have yet to find out."

"I'm surprised that you're actually trying to help them out. Aren't you like the bad guy?"

"One more question and I'll kill you for being so irritating." Helios scowled. Leonidas didn't seem fazed by the threat, but he decided to shut up anyway.

After a while, they finally got back to where Hydron was. A seemingly happy Dryoid immediately went to his partner and stayed on his shoulder, and Leonidas chose to look for the other Bakugan in case they got out. The next hour was filled with a lot of work...Spectra doing most of it, but Hydron helped out some when he needed a hand. When it was done, all the Subterra brawler had to do now was to stand on the new scanner they made, and the blond did the rest.

-o-

At the same time, that full hour was filled with a lot of discoveries in the mansion...

The chibis all split up, opening all unlocked doors and peeking at each one of them. Shun's first door was apparently his last one in his search because it opened to a massage chair room. Without hesitating, the ravenette ran towards any chair, jumped on it, and let the machine do the rest.

Dan on the other hand found a bunch of rooms that didn't really made any sense. The first was...a bunny room. "Ew...it smells in here." the brunette looked around and saw a small white colored bunny with red eyes staring at him. Seeing that it won't really hurt him, the seven-year-old went inside (while pinching his nose) before he heard more footsteps approaching him. Well, they weren't actually footsteps...more like fifty bunnies also staring at him. "..."

He was lucky to get out there alive.

Mira found a hot spring, but someone beat here there, apparently. "Mylene?"

"...what? Can't bad guys also have a break?" she replied with her already in the water and everything. "Yeah, I guess. Can I join you?"

"I don't see why not."

Lync and Volt stumbled upon a room with nothing but a big couch with a big flat screen TV. The room was connected to something else though, and when they looked in to that, they found a huge theater with musical instruments of all kinds standing there collecting dust. They decided to try out the TV afterwards.

Gus opened a door in to a library...and frankly, it took him no more than a second to decide whether to check it out or close it. He did the latter.

Marucho and Ace found an indoor garden with exotic plants everywhere. It was like a rainbow's colors were splashed on to this place, because some flowers looked like they were hybrids, but the Aquos brawler wasn't very sure. "Careful, Ace, there's a Raflesia nearby."

"Raflesia? What the heck is that?"

"The stinkiest flower in the world, I think."

They couldn't escape its evil stench in the end.

Shadow seemed to be happy with his find. "A room filled with money! It's like a dream come true!"

And Baron...well, he found a guest bedroom. The youngest brawler immediately slept in it.

As for the three girl brawlers, they're just outside admiring the garden behind the mansion.

"Tadashi, how big is this mansion?"

"Well if you're planning to go through every door in here, that's going to take you maybe five hours to finish them all."

"Are you serious?"

"Very. I know, I've tried." Gale groaned. "Looks like we better get searching then."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Longer Night

Tadashi said it would take them five hours to go through all the doors.

Apparently it took them until dinner time to round them all up.

And they only were able to do that because everyone got hungry.

The two were searching the whole time, skipping lunch, and were practically starving. When they soon realized how late it was, they decided to go back down to at least have a snack..."Hey, where did you guys go?" Dan asked them as he was munching on a piece of pizza.

The younger teen resisted the urge to start shouting in rage. "Y-you're all...here..."

"_In the kitchen_." the butler finished with a face-palm. "Oh, we should've thought of that earlier! Of course they'll get hungry too...how long have you been down here?"

"Mm, maybe about an hour." Mira answered while drinking some water. Annoyingly for the two, Spectra was also there along with Hydron. "Took you long enough." the blond muttered. The three girl brawlers were also there; it seemed that only Gale and Tadashi were missing out on the feast they made.

The fact that both of their stomachs were growling loud enough that everyone in the room could hear it did not help. Not one bit. The crimson-haired boy was already planning to give a lecture to the chibis before the brunette handed him a slice of pizza. "You're _really really_ hungry, right, Gale? We decided to raid the fridge, so there's a lot to go around~"

Hesitantly, he took the food with mixed feelings. "Please don't do that next time, Dan. I don't think Uncle will like to find his fridge empty." he sighed. "And I was planning on buying some supplies after I found you guys, but it's already night time..."

"We'll do it tomorrow. You can cook us breakfast again." Runo said as if it didn't bother the boy. All he could do was sigh again. "I guess I have no other choice. I'm gonna have to run to the store to buy the ingredients, though."

"Make the porridge-thing again, please." Ace told him.

"I thought you said it was peasant food." Shadow commented.

"Well it's good peasant food, 'nuff said."

"I agwee." Baron added with a big grin. It made the younger teen smile a little too. "Okay, I got it. I'll just eat a bit and get going before they close."

"Hey, twerp, pass the pitcher." Mylene said bluntly to Shun. Said ravenette did so while making a small grumbling sound. Yet because his body got smaller (and so did his strength), he accidentally made the container topple over and spill the water all over the table...and a bunch of people. "A-ah, I'm sorry-"

"Look what you did! You twerp, you're useless!"

"Tadashi, Spectra, please try to keep them from fighting..." Gale muttered.

"No promises." the blond replied nonchalantly. The younger teen could only hope that they hold through, though it was obvious that something just broke between the two chibis...

-o-

The teen had taken longer than expected with his shopping spree. He decided that since he was already at the convenient store, he could buy other things that the group he was sort of babysitting could need. He grabbed three packs of bandages, a bunch of instant noodle packs, junk food, medicine for common colds, coughs, and possible headaches or stomachaches, and the ingredients for the porridge the next day. He was pretty sure that the other things he needed would be stocked in the mansion, and he was planning to bring the chibis (along with Runo, Julie, and Alice) to the supermarket to help him out carry all the stuff. Gale hoped that the receipt wouldn't be too high, or else he was going to have some serious explaning to do to his parents and uncle...

So while holding on four, huge plastic bags, he walked the way back to the mansion, which took about seven minutes. It would've been shorter if he didn't get lost in the dark for a moment; everything looked different at night. What seemed familiar in the daytime changes somehow when the sun goes down. It scared and fascinated him at the same time, though Gale was always fascinated by little things that most people don't notice or care about.

Finally, he was in front of the door. Pausing to rest for a little, he searched for the key in his pocket and inserted it in to the lock. After he moved it to the left and heard a soft 'click', he turned the knob of the door and entered a surprisingly pitch black room, or at least, looked like so at first glance. "Ah, you're back." a familiar voice echoed. Honestly, the teen was surprised that he was down there in the first place. "Spectra?" was he waiting for him to come back?

"Why so shocked, Gale? I needed to talk to you in private, so I waited."

"Err, it's just, I didn't think they would sleep that early."

"Early?" the older teen repeated incredulously. "It's already 10:30pm."

"R-really? I guess I lost track of time...so everyone's asleep..."

"Yes. They were very cooperative, to say the least." _cooperative, eh? I bet Spectra scared them in to not squirming somehow._ "When we were able to settle them down, the butler told me that he was going to go back to his own room as well."

"I...I see..."

"Anyhow, bring those things that you've bought and place them somewhere. I need to show you something important."

"Important? How?"

"It involves what happened to Dan and the others." the crimson-haired male didn't waste any time doing what he was told. After setting aside the plastic bags somewhere, he approached the Vestal, who was sitting on a wooden chair nearby the dinner table. "Does it have to do with what you found out with Hydron?"

"Yes. I ran a few tests on him in the Mother Palace, and the results were...startling, honestly. I will start from the beginning, if you don't mind." he pulled out what looked like a small and thin touch screen machine and placed it on top of the table. A second after, the contraption flickered in to life, showing a hologram that was in the shape of a young boy. "It seems the trap that I designed malfunctioned somehow when it was activated." he began, clasping his fingers together while his shoulders rest on the smooth surface in a thinking pose. "Originally, it was meant to send an electric jolt strong enough to make a human and a Bakugan pass out, but for some odd reason, the volt carried some interesting properties. _Very_ interesting and dangerous ones, in fact. If a living creature would come in to contact with them, it could either deform their body or mutate it...well, those two words are almost the same, but you know where I'm going at."

Spectra paused for Gale to absorb what he said so far. After a few moments, he continued. "It seems that property had mutated their body and shrunk them to their younger selves. In the case of the Bakugan, their evolution took a step back to their first form. At first, I thought that the effect was only external since they seemed to have retained their personalities and knowledge, but earlier this morning when they mentioned how it was 'normal', it got me...a little concerned. The results confirmed what I had dread: their internal parts are starting to get affected as well."

"W-what exactly do you mean by _internal_?"

"...it was easy to note that their organs have shrunken to compensate for the new body size, yet the brain...it's taking much longer to adjust. Neurons that were there before are staring to disappear in a rapid rate. At this speed, they could truly be children again in about two week's time."

"N-no way..."

"And it's not just their knowledge that's going to be erased. I noticed that their memories are starting to disappear as well. Memories of their original selves."

"Huh? Wait, so, that means they're going to forget everything?"

"Not exactly. They're going to forget everything before their age at this point. Say, for example, if Dan right now is seven, he would lose all his memories except for those he experienced when he was probably six and under..."

Gale was now trembling. "He's going to forget about everything, alright. He's gonna forget about Bakugan, and all of us except for Shun, Marucho, and Runo. I don't think he'll even recognize her. This is horrible..."

"Unfortunately, I don't know how to reverse the process as of yet. I'm still trying to figure out as well why the Vexos were affected by this even though they weren't even close to Earth."

The two were silent for a while, and it wasn't a comfortable silence. Both were dreading about the future-what's going to happen to everyone as time passes by. One thing's for sure, they had to find the solution as quickly as possible. "Spectra, after they lose their memories, is it possible to turn them back?"

"I'm afraid not. While I can reverse their external condition, the neurons can never be restored. Even while they're sleeping now...they could be losing their most treasured moments without them knowing."

"Then we have to tell them what's going on-"

"That's out of the question." the Vestal raised his voice while slamming his hand on the table. "If...if ever we don't succeed, we shouldn't burden them with knowing that they're forgetting something important. Let them be for now. I don't know the full extent of what they're going through and what's going to happen, but we have to take all possibilities to account. If they're not going to forget this experience with us, then we have to make sure that they do not remember it as a bad thing. We can't..._I_ can't cause them any more trouble..."

"Spectra..."

"I'm telling you this for a reason, alright, kid? You know the others much more, and you can take care of them better than I can ever do. I trust you not to tell them their real circumstances. Understand?"

"O-of course. I promise."

"Good. You should rest now, Gale. You spent the entire day searching for them, didn't you?" he nodded while suddenly stifling a yawn. Now that the older teen mentioned it, he was feeling really tired. "Okay. You should sleep too, Spectra."

"No, I'll keep working for a while longer. I...need to do this."

"...don't push yourself too far. I don't think I'll be able to handle them without you around to at least help me out."

"Me? Help? Since when did I ever do that?"

Gale simply smiled. "You did help...by just being there." and with that, he walked towards the stairs to his bed on the next floor. "'Night, Spectra."

"...good night."

* * *

**A/N: **And the plot finally thickens~ Would you believe me if I said I wrote this in around an hour? No? Me either. But I did, for some odd reason.

Anyway, need to sleep. Review. Yeah. Bleh.

**EDIT: **I should have read through this much earlier. I spotted so many mistakes! Gosh, I should be more careful when rushing. X_X


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I-I'm so sorry, everyone...but I'm not planning on continuing this for the time being. I reread this over and everything just felt screwy...so I'm planning to rewrite this another time, so you won't be seeing any updates any time soon.

This is what I was able to write for the next chapter before I decided to discontinue it. But by discontinue, I'm not planning on dropping the story completely. No, I just decided that I haven't thought of this story for so long that I'm still at a loss for what to do with it, and the previous chapters don't really make much sense either (stupid past self). I won't delete this story, and I'll send all my reviewers a PM if I get to rewrite it. For now, I will focus on my other stories and my studies.

I apologize for getting your hopes up. ;3; Hopefully I'll rewrite this story eventually.

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Chapter 7 -

"_Gaaale_..." a voice echoed. Said teen twitched a little and turned to the other side of the bed he was on. "Gale, wake up..!"

Dan made a pouting face and started to shake him as hard as he could. This resulted to the crimson-haired boy yelling in shock and quickly sitting up. "Ugh, Dan...please don't do that." he mumbled as his breathing calmed down a bit. He rubbed his eyes and tried to keep himself awake instead of falling asleep again, though honestly he wasn't sure that he would sleep again since the brunette was still right beside him.

"But that's the only way I know to wake you up."

"_Only_?" the older male asked, puzzled. "You dumped water on me one time in school because of a dare, remember?"

"Really? Aww, I wish I could remember that. I bet it was awesome." this made Gale's eyes widen. "W-wait, you seriously don't remember?"

"Err, no. It's not like I remember every single day of school, y'know."

"Y-yeah...I guess..." _the only problem is that you take pride in knowing all of your pranks, Dan. Did you forget that too..?_

With a sigh, he told the boy that he would follow him after he was down changing and freshening up. A couple minutes later, a fully and casually dressed Gale came out of the guest room, looking a little sullen. The brunette didn't seem to notice though and dragged his old classmate downstairs to where everyone was waiting. He just realized right then-where did Runo, Julie, and Alice disappear to? He needed to ask Spectra later about that.

All the chibis were complaining how hungry they were, and to his surprise, the blond seemed famished as well and asked the younger teen to hurry up with breakfast. Shun decided to help him out as he made his way to the kitchen. Taking out what he bought yesterday, it didn't take him long to make a lot of pancakes and some scrambled eggs for everybody. It didn't take them that very long either to wolf down all the food Gale prepared.

"Can I have seconds?" a voice shouted amongst the chatters coming from the dinner table. The crimson-haired boy couldn't really tell who said it (since he was still in the kitchen), but replied quickly. "Sure, just wait a sec." he sighed again as he glanced at the closed fridge nearby him, knowing that it was almost empty already from last night's meal. They really needed to go to the supermarket soon...or eat out. He groaned at the thought of how much this was going to hurt his dad's credit card.

* * *

**A/N: **Bye for now. D:


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